Sparkling New Website

Good Monday to You!

Surprise! I was surprised too. If you've attempted to go to www.mvcclive.com in your browser, then you’ve seen a whole new website. For a few months we’ve been in the process of updating, changing and developing our new church management software and website. For the past month we’ve been working hard to launch our new website and management system. There were roadblocks which caused a delay in changing our URL links. Guess what? They figured it out and the new website went LIVE sometime in the middle of the night. So, we have new church management software. It is called, “My Mountainview”.


My Mountainview makes it easy to join the community by using our online church login system.

Here's what you can do in My Mountainview...


Once you have created your account and logged in, you can:

• Update your personal profile (add a photo, contact info, social networks)
• Manage your privacy settings
• Access the church directory (but you must opt in)
• Register for events
• Set up your online giving
• Access your giving records
• Access and manage your groups

Getting registered and logged in is simple and quick! Here's how to create your account...
CLICK // REGISTER NOW

• provide your name and email address
• create your own password
• click 'create an account'
• check your email inbox for a confirmation email
• click on the link shown in the email

If you have questions, please CLICK //  here to email our staff. 

Blessings to you, 

Pastor Tom

A Note from Pastor Tom

Mountainview Family-

We have some great opportunities for you to be involved!

WORK!

CLEAN UP DAY AT MOUNTAINVIEW & HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY
We have a unique opportunity to work together and shine a light in our community by sprucing up both our church grounds and our local neighborhood elementary school. We will mobilize from Mountainview at 8:30 am TOMORROW (Saturday, Oct. 4th). Grab your whole family, your tools, your gloves, your servant’s heart, and bring them all! If you are unable to work outside, there are some non-physical indoor opportunities at Highland.  

PLAY!

LET’S GO BOWLING!
Have some fun this weekend with the whole family. The Africa Short-Term Mission Team is sponsoring a bowling fundraiser at AMF Century 20 Lanes in Portland on Sunday (Oct. 5th) from 2-5 pm. The cost is $10 per person.

Two Ministry Efforts for Which You Can Pray!

CHURCH OF THE CITY
A new church plant called Church of the City will be launching their first official gathering this Sunday evening (Oct. 5th) in the Portland inner city area. Russell Clum, who spoke at Mountainview in June while we were gone for our adoption, is the lead church planter. They are excited to see how the neighborhoods of central Portland can be transformed when the Gospel flourishes. Please pray along with me for Russell, for his launch team, and for the people who will be hearing about Jesus for the first time.

OUR MINISTRY TO THE IMPOVERISHED
No One Left Behind is one of our church ministries reaching out to the impoverished people of Gresham and East County. The number of people being reached through this ministry is increasing weekly. Will you pray along with me for the people being reached to experience real hope and life change? Will you pray for the leadership team of this ministry? Will you pray for the relationship between the impoverished, our church, other churches, the citizens of Gresham, and our city government? Pray that we can work together to affect lasting life change in the impoverished community.

Don’t Miss Gathering at Mountainview this Sunday!

You are personally invited to gather with us at either 9:00 am or 10:40 am to be inspired and rejuvenated by our worship, prayer, learning, giving, communion, service, and fellowship.
This Sunday we will wrap up our sermon series called SMALL THINGS / BIG DIFFERENCE. We’ve learned together about our THOUGHTS and our WORDS. This Sunday we will discuss some equally important small things - our HABITS. Paul summarized it best when he wrote, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15 ESV)

Can you relate?

I look forward to seeing you this weekend!


Blessings,
Pastor Tom 

A Note from Pastor Tom

It's the weekend!

By now kids are back in school and the new routines are in place. Although our oldest has only started kindergarten, I've still found myself looking forward to the weekend.


Speaking of weekends, I have a few pieces of info to share:


1) What a great way to celebrate our church last weekend! I LOVE MY CHURCH weekend is an encouragement to me. I heard so many of you share the same sentiments. Thanks for being here, thanks for bringing food to share, thanks for eating the food, and thanks for celebrating our church family together.

2) Starting this weekend, we will be looking at how small adjustments can make a big difference in your life. Have you ever heard of the Trinidad Scorpion Moruga pepper? This small pepper has been tested to have over 2 million scoville units of heat! It is true that small things can make a big difference. What if we made some small adjustments in our thoughts, our words and our habits? Do you think it would make a difference? I hope you'll worship with us either at 9:00am or 10:40am on Sunday morning.

3) Save the Date:
October 4th from 9am-1pm: Highland Elementary Community Work Day
October 5th from 2pm-5pm: Let's Go Bowling (Family Fun)
October 12th: Missions Sunday
October 18th: "A Stitch in Time" at 9am (Women's Conference)

I’m excited about all I see God doing in the life of Mountainview. I was especially excited as I watched nearly 250 men, women, students, and kids find a place to GROW on Wednesday. Our halls and rooms were full between Wednesday morning’s studies and the evening studies. Let's watch and see what God does through us individually and as a church!

See you Sunday! Have a great weekend!


Pastor Tom

A Note from Pastor Tom

Good Morning Mountainview Family,

Listen to what Paul said about the church when he wrote to the Church of Ephesus about husbands and wives:

"...Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV)

In a book entitled, The New Testament Church: Then and Now, Leroy Lawson makes the argument that every Christ follower ought to see their church as the most important church in the world. Here are a few of his reasons why:

• You meet God in your church.
• You become excited about life in your church.
• You learn to care about others in your church.
• You grow into Christlikeness in your church.
• You prepare for the future in your church.

I LOVE MY CHURCH and I think I'm on the staff at the most important church in the world.

Tomorrow, we are celebrating Mountainview Christian Church . I LOVE MY CHURCH Sunday is set aside for us to celebrate YOU, our church family and to celebrate the work God is doing in us and through us. I want to celebrate with you the amazing things God has done.

We are trying something different...a "potluck" continental breakfast during synergy time between worship services. Bring your favorite pastry or fruit dish to share and help us celebrate our church.

This is how the morning looks:

9:00-10:00 Worship
10:00-11:00 Food, Fun and Sharing
11:00-12:00 Worship

So, we need 9:00 worshipers to plan on staying later than usual and the 10:40 worshipers to come early. We hope you will take this opportunity to meet someone new or reconnect with old friends as we snack together and celebrate what God is doing at Mountainview.


See you Sunday!

Blessings!
Pastor Tom 

The Mountainview Top 5

Here are the top five things you need to know:
1. Wallace and Mary Kamau from Nairobi, Kenya, Africa are with us this weekend. They will be meeting with our church leaders, hosting a dinner on Saturday night, and sharing from the stage during both worship services on Sunday morning.

You are invited to “A Taste of Africa” dinner tomorrow evening, the 6th at 6 PM in the Family Life Center. If you haven’t already signed up, please click here to email Liz Gardner. 
I know you'll be blessed by the Kamau's on Sunday morning. Mountainview has affected more life change than I ever realized. I know you'll be encouraged and hope you'll be here.

2. We have an overwhelming list of opportunities for you to experience GROWTH this fall. Starting this Sunday we will be promoting these opportunities in the foyer. I would like to see 80% of our church family BELONG to a GROW group this fall.

Will you consider what you might commit to? 

• The Women are studying the books of Philippians and Colossians.
• The Young Moms and Dads will be doing a six-week parenting class.
• The Men are taking a look at David and the book of James.
• Financial Learning Experience will show you practical tools to manage your finances.
• The Marriage Ministry will be offering a six-week class called "The Art of Marriage".
• Another parenting class about how to talk so kids will listen and how to listen so they will talk will be offered on Sunday evenings.
• "Divorce Care" and "Grief Share" are great support groups for people who have experienced either divorce or grief, especially from the loss of a loved one.
• "Boundaries" helps you develop healthy boundaries, addresses codependency and teaches when and how to say "no".
• The Restoration Ministry is providing several shorter "Life Change" groups throughout the week such as, "Avoiding Mr. Wrong", "Men's Issues Group" and Men's & Women's "Genesis Process Groups. 

3. I LOVE MY CHURCH on September 14th. Simply said, we want to celebrate YOU, our church family. I continue to be amazed at the way you let God use you to change lives. 

We are trying something different...a "potluck" continental breakfast during synergy time between worship services. Bring your favorite pastry or fruit dish to share and help us celebrate our church.

We hope you will take this opportunity to meet someone new or reconnect with old friends as we snack together and celebrate what God is doing at MVCC.

4. It is with sadness and excitement we inform you that our Children's Intern, Jonathan Veliquette  has accepted an Elementary Director position at a church in Southern California.

Jonathan and Sierra have both grown up at MVCC, where they have been active leaders in our youth group and consistent volunteers in our children's ministry. They have been very faithful in their internship while they finished at Multnomah University.

We have an opportunity to send this young couple on to their first full time ministry position. Will you join me in praying for the impact God is preparing for them to make? Would you also be praying as we search for a Children's Pastor to join our team?

We will celebrate their work at MVCC on Sunday, September 14th.

5. Finally, I am excited for everything we have lined up the next several months. Maybe you've been "barely" connected through the summer. We are intentionally providing multiple opportunities for you to "reconnect" with your church family. I hope you'll start this Sunday. As always, if we can assist you in BELONGING, GROWING or SERVING please let us know.

Blessings!

Pastor Tom

A Note from Pastor Tom: August 22, 2014

Mountainview Family -

Last Sunday we started a series entitled "The Balancing Act". Each week we are taking a deeper look at one of the three crucial relationships in Jesus' life. Jesus modeled an incredible relationship with God. He was often found in prayer because His life depended on it. It was His consistent relationship with the Father that gave Him the strength to face the struggles of life.

This week we are going to see how Jesus handled Himself around the people in His inner circle. He let these people into His life. Jesus modeled for us the importance of Godly friendships in the Christian life. We were never meant to go through life alone.

Thank you for making Carrie Rambo, our missionary in New Zealand, feel so welcome last Sunday. I'm excited about the work she is doing.

Join us September 6 & 7!

Wallace and Mary Kamau, the directors of Missions of Hope International in Nairobi, Kenya will be here. We have some exciting opportunities planned for you.

Saturday, September 6th we have a gathering called, "A Taste of Africa". The cost is $5 and provides you an opportunity to have a dinner plate similar to a meal that would be served in Kenya. You will also have the chance to hear the heart and passion of the Kamau's in a smaller setting. Tickets will be available in the foyer on Sunday.

Sunday, September 7th, Wallace and Mary will be a special part of our worship time. They will also share about our partnership in the Gitathuru community. You'll also have a chance to sponsor a child like so many in our church have already.

I hope to see you on Sunday. If you've missed a service, you can always catch up by following this link.

I am thankful for you and thank God for you often. I look forward to seeing you every week.

Blessings!

Pastor Tom

A Note from Pastor Tom: August 8, 2014

Mountainview Family-

It was so incredibly good to be back with you last weekend. I am looking forward to being together again this Sunday.

We will look at some very important verses that were never intended to be underestimated. As Jesus began to teach his followers, the religious leaders and the crowds He described how things were going to be in His revolutionary movement. Read and pay attention to these words:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)

As we look at these words on Sunday morning, I want to give you a few Biblically based words Christ followers should be known for. There are plenty of things for which God has called us to turn our backs, yet Matthew 5:14-16 reminds us that our light should shine. This is best-accomplished when Christ followers show the world what they stand for. I hope to see you Sunday morning.

Our Cradle 2 College staff and incredible volunteer leaders have been busy preparing for our Kid's Summer Experience. I want to personally challenge you to get involved by:

• Praying the entire week for our staff, leaders, volunteers, and especially the children attending.
• Inviting children in your life, your family or neighborhood. 
• Volunteering to do something throughout the week.

I want to mention again some "SAVE THE DATES":

• August 17th- New 3-week sermon series and Carrie Rambo, one of our missionaries will be with us.
• September 7th- Wallace and Mary Kamau, our missionaries and the directors of Mission of Hope International in Nairobi, Kenya will be with us. 
• September 14th- I LOVE MY CHURCH

Finally, even though it is summer and you've been busy, I have been so impressed with the number of you who have been faithful in your attendance, giving and service. Thank you!

See you Sunday!

Blessings!

Pastor Tom